TURKEY >Iconic player Alex leaves Fenerbahçe

Alex de Souza’s long and storied Fenerbahçe career came to an end today, as the Brazilian star announced he left the Istanbul club hours after he was left out of the Istanbul club’s squad.

“I have ended my contract, it was the saddest signature of my life,” de Souza wrote in his Twitter account. “Fenerbahçe has lost a player but it has won a supporter, thanks for everything,” he added.

Although the team’s most prolific player in the last decade, de Souza fell out of favor earlier this season. He criticized coach Aykut Kocaman, who left him out of the squad to face Spartak Moscow in the Champions League playoff first leg, on Twitter.

De Souza was left out of the squad for the next league game as a suspension, but was then used in the return game against Spartak.

However, the case was not closed, with fans taking de Souza’s side and blaming the coach for the team’s string of poor performances.

Fans chanted against Kocaman in the Europa League game against Marseille, when Fenerbahçe was held to a 2-2 draw.

De Souza scored Fenerbahçe’s second goal in the game, but the Istanbul club conceded two late goals in the game, after the Brazilian was substituted.

When substituted at halftime in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Kasımpaşa, instead of sitting next to the coach on the bench, Alex sit in the stands, a move seen as a protest.

Alex was standing just five goals shy of matching the Fenerbahçe record for league goals with 136 goals. The current record is held by former striker Aykut Kocaman.